Covid LIVE: Maharashtra sees 41,434 new cases; Omicron tally reaches 1,009

Maharashtra capital Mumbai sees 20,318 new Covid cases in a day

12:03 PM

COVID-19: Health dept intensifies testing at Jammu airport

Amid a surge in cases of COVID-19, the health department has ramped up the testing and samples collection of tourists and pilgrims coming to the state.

Nasal and swab samples of pilgrims coming to Mata Vaishno Devi temple and international travellers, who are not fully vaccinated, are being collected.

11:53 AM

ECI to announce schedule for Assembly elections in Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh today

Election Commission of India to announce the schedule for Assembly elections to Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh at 3.30pm today

11:51 AM

India's R-naught value recorded at 4, COVID-19 peak expected between Feb 1-15: IIT Madras analysis

India's R-naught value which indicates the spread of COVID-19 was recorded at 4 this week, suggesting a very high infection transmission rate, according to a preliminary analysis by IIT Madras predicting the peak of the third wave between February 1-15.

R-naught or R0 indicates the number of people an infected person can spread the disease to. A pandemic is considered to end if this value goes below 1.

Based on preliminary analysis by computational modeling done by IIT Madras, which was shared with PTI, the R0 value was close to 2.9 nationally in the past week (December 25 to December 31). The number was recorded at 4 this week (January 1-6).

11:36 AM

Coronavirus in India: Delhi will report around 20,000 fresh cases today

Delhi will report around 20,000 fresh cases today, positivity rate to rise by 1-2%. Currently, only 10% of hospital beds are occupied in the city: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Covid-19 situation

11:05 AM

Delhi coronavirus update | Lajpat Nagar closed during the weekend curfew

10:19 AM

Coronavirus fear: Political rallies, protests prohibited in Uttarakhand till Jan 16

In view of the rising Covid-19 cases, the Uttarakhand government imposed new restrictions on Friday.

 

The new restrictions include the prohibition of all political rallies and protests in the state until January 16.

 

Moreover, all the schools and anganwadi centres will remain closed until January 16.

 

The state government has imposed a night curfew from 10 pm to 6 am.

10:16 AM

352 healthcare workers at Chandigarh PGIMER tested positive since Dec 20

352 healthcare workers, including 157 doctors, of PGIMER in Chandigarh have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since during the past over a fortnight, the premier institute said in a statement on Friday.

 

"A total of 352 Healthcare Workers (HCWs) have tested positive since 20th December, 2021 in Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. Of these, 157 are doctors - Junior Residents, Senior Residents & Faculty Members," the statement said.

10:08 AM

Himachal Pradesh's Shimla covered under a white blanket of snow

10:04 AM

Coronavirus update: A total of 3,071 Omicron cases reported in India so far, says MoHFW

A total of 3,071 Omicron cases were reported in 27 States/UTs of India so far. The number of persons recovered is 1,203: Union Health Ministry

9:50 AM

Coronavirus update: Maharashtra reports 40,925 Covid-19 cases; no new Omicron infections

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 40,925 new coronavirus cases, 4,660 more than the previous day and a new high since the pandemic began.

 

The state also reported 20 new deaths, the health department said. Half the new cases were reported in Mumbai. But no new cases of Omicron variant were recorded during the day.

The infection tally jumped to 68,34,222 and death toll rose to 1,41,614. Of 40,925 new cases and 20 deaths, state capital Mumbai accounted for 20,927 cases and six fatalities. The tally of active cases surged to 1,41,492, whereas 7,42,684 people are in home quarantine and 1,463 people are in institutional quarantine currently. 

9:32 AM

Coronavirus LIVE updates: India reports 1,41,986 fresh Covid cases

India reports 1,41,986 fresh Covid cases, 40,895 recoveries, and 285 deaths in the last 24 hours

Daily positivity rate: 9.28%

Active cases: 4,72,169

Total recoveries: 3,44,12,740

Death toll: 4,83,178   

9:30 AM

173 passengers from Rome test Covid-19 positive at Amritsar airport

As many as 173 of the 290 passengers of an international flight from Italy's Rome tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival at Amritsar airport on Friday.

 

"A flight from Rome arrived at Amritsar airport on Friday. There were 290 passengers on this flight. Leaving the children, the COVID test was done on 285 passengers. Out of 285 people, 173 people tested positive for COVID. Re-test will be done on 75 people," said VK Seth, Director, Amritsar Airport.

 

9:21 AM

Hong Kong Faces Worst of Both Worlds as Omicron Ruins Covid Zero

Hong Kong is at a Covid-19 tipping point.

 

The once-vibrant gateway to China sacrificed its status as an international hub to “Covid Zero,” its strategy for eliminating the virus by isolating itself from a world awash in the pathogen. It worked for nearly a year, keeping residents safe and largely unfettered while raising the tantalizing possibility of reopening the border with China, the city’s economic lifeblood.

 

Now it’s living with the worst of both worlds, after a couple of imported infections caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant started spreading in the under-vaccinated city, triggering renewed curbs. Residents can no longer go to the gym or the cinema, and the once-ubiquitous banquets where people gathered to celebrate the Chinese New Year were cancelled for another year.

9:10 AM

Coronavirus update: Karnata govt issues clarification on travel and tourism restrictions

9:07 AM

Delhi weather: Early morning showers at Minto Road in Delhi